Working With One’s Hands…

So yeah, the pollen in NC at this time of year is pretty damn unbearable. I sneeze a ton, and my nose is reduced to this almost unbearable leaky faucet, but, through over the counter remedies and tissues by the fistful, I’ve been able to accomplish a lot with my hands as of late and it’s felt great!

My day to day job and my play, often involve my hands typing and while it’s how I make a living and my therapy, I’ve found that as I’ve gotten older, I’ve developed a simple love of building things. What’s cool is that my hands seem to crave this new love. In fact, it’s almost as if my hands had a past life as a carpenter or mechanic. I find the mere act soothes and engages me and, like writing, it’s yet another form of creation! I find myself giddy when I see an obstacle, think of an idea on how to get by it, and then build that idea.

It’s the act.

That act of taking physical objects that you can hold in your hands and assembling them to create a situation that was better than it was previously. I don’t know… wait… yes I do!

It’s just immensely satisfying. When you build something physical, it changes reality as you know it and when that change is positive… well… it’s kind of a rush! I, fortunately, have the added benefit of effecting Melinda I when embark on such endeavors and, while I can’t say I “hit it out of the park” every time, I can say I’ve had the pleasure of seeing a few helpful ideas come to fruition.

Here are some that have been built in just the last few months:

1. Our loft/studio space is finally being built! It’ll take a while, but Mel, her father and good friend of mine, Bob, and I have started a really wonderful thing! We’ll keep you looped on the project as it progresses!

2. Shelves in the nook in our living room. Before, it was just an open space with the stereo sitting there with little to no utility. Now, after I installed the shelves, it’s filled with happy books and our printer which I’ve been jonesing to get downstairs and hooked up wirelessly for LONG time. It was really easy to do and it’s ended working out great! More storage, printing downstairs, and a cozy vibe all in one! You can’t beat it!

3. Rain barrel stand number 2! If you haven’t guessed by now, Mel and I are kinda eco-hippies and one of the ways we’ve tried to make a difference is by collecting the rain water that we get in short sudden bursts here in central North Carolina. The easiest way of doing this is by setting up rain barrels around the drain spouts from roof. I built one a while back while Mel was out of town and it came out great! This year was a little different and I was hurting for time so I built just the stand for the second barrel to sit on. As you may, or may not see, it’s daisy chained to the original.

I think it came out great and it’s holding the second 55 gallon drum nicely. Also, thanks to the rain we’ve received this week; it’s full!! And just like that! Our rain water collection has doubled! We have a third barrel who’s stand will hopefully be built this weekend!

More projects will always be on the way and my head is always full of ideas, but these are just a small handful of the one’s I’ve completed recently.

There’s definitely a peace in working with your hands. And if you haven’t tried it because you’re busy or just plain afraid to, I definitely recommend it! Just start small if you have to and remember, if you screw it up bad, there’s always someone around that can help you pick up the pieces.

Just be safe ok? 😉 And hey, since we’re all sharing, feel free to share the ideas you’ve built below!